Creature of Myth II: Sunlit Summons
by SuperYuuki
Summary: Shimizu Ao, Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Ichimaru Gin are summoned to Takama-ga-hara by Amaterasu to assist in protecting Izanagi from the Shikome and Izanami. Many Pairings. Japanese Mythology Based. Cover image is Nazo Fujiwa
1. Prologue

**Title: **Creatures of Myth II: Sunlit Summons

**Rating: **T (Violence, Language, Themes of a citrus fruit nature but nothing graphic)

**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural

**Summary: **After the Senka fiasco, Seireitei is still in a state of unease from the escape of Aizen Sousuke, but fortunately, this discomfort is not mirrored on the Youkai. Until now. Follow Hitsugaya Toushirou, Shimizu Ao, and Ichimaru Gin deeper into the dark and mysterious world of the Youkai, onto the Higher Spiritual Plane, Takama-ga-hara, where evils both old and new lurk to usurp the recently returned Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the God of Life. And as the battle of minds takes place in the realm of the gods, a problem of a different nature has arose on the home front.

**Pairings:** Hitsugaya Toushirou x OC, Aizen Sousuke x OC, Inoue Orihime x OC, Ichimaru Gin x OC, Ichigo x Tatsuki, Ulquiorra x OC, OC x OC, and (disturbingly) OC x OC x OC.

**A/N:** Welcome, readers. If you have not read the first Creatures of Myth, I suggest you make your way to my author page, for you will be extremely confused. :) Anyways, to those of you who are my returning readers, it's time for a large amount of mythological mayhem. I have told but ONE person about the big curveballs that will be present in this story. I believe I have kept my favorite twists very hush-hush, but I may have slipped somewhere… idk. So. I have spent a long time planning this story, and you will not be disappointed… this will be a rather entertaining sequel. This first chapter will have much background story. It deviates from actual Shinto Mythology quite a bit, as I have Izanagi ruling over Takama-ga-hara, whereas there are actually many others that are just as powerful as he, but I'm making them be advisors and such, powerful, but watching from the sidelines. It deviates the most after Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo come forth. Then it's all original.

Creatures of Myth II: Sunlit Summons

_Chapter One: Prologue_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . _

"_What have you done?_

_Is this what you wanted?_

_What have you become?_

_His soul's not forsaken_

_._

_Your chains have been broken_

_You've suffered so long_

_You will never change."_

_**-A Demon's Fate, Within Temptation**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_A long time ago, at the beginning of the world, many gods emerged from the void, the most powerful of these being Izanagi and his younger sister and wife, Izanami. Together, they descended from Takama-ga-hara to create islands where they could live._

_Eventually, after creating many islands and giving birth to many deities, Izanami died giving birth to Kagu-Tsuchi, the Incarnation of Fire. Izanagi was so furious that he killed the child._

_In a desperate attempt to find his wife, he traveled to Yomi, the underworld, where he found her. He could not see her form, for the shadows hid her from view. He wished for her to return with him, but she told him that she had eaten the food of the underworld, and belonged with the dead. Unwilling to leave his wife behind, Izanagi lit a fire while she was sleeping in order to see her, only to be greeted by a ghastly sight. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami-no-Mikoto, now a rotting corpse filled with maggots and worms._

_Overwhelmed by his fear, Izanagi fled from Yomi, his angry wife chasing behind him, indignant and shrieking with rage. From the shadows came the eight wild Shikome, coming to Izanami's aid, ordered to retrieve the god of Life and bring him back._

_Izanagi burst from the entrance and hastily pushed a boulder to block the path. Izanami reached the boulder and screamed through the barrier, "Don't you dare leave me, Izanagi! Don't you dare!"_

"_You were right, my dear, you do belong down there," he retorted._

_Her frustrated sobs were heard as she shrieked, "You return to me right now or I'll kill one-thousand of the living every day!"_

"_And I shall give life to one-thousand five-hundred each day," he snapped back furiously before ascending back to Takama-ga-hara._

_When Izanagi returned, he bathed to cleanse himself of the horrors of Yomi, thus bringing forth the gods Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu of the moon and sun, along with the god Susanoo, of storms._

_The centuries passed in relative peace, punctuated only by the occasional disputes between Amaterasu and Susanoo, until one day, a horrid earthquake shook the earth, dislodging the boulder from its place, releasing Izanami from her prison, along with the haggard Shikome. Taking her opportunity, Izanami disguised herself as a beautiful woman, an illusion that only worked when one didn't look too close._

_Carefully, she stepped into Takama-ga-hara, the eight Shikome dissipating into the shadows to follow silently behind her. Bitter with hatred, she snuck up on Izanagi and threw him from Takama-ga-hara into one of the realms that rested between the Higher Spiritual Plane and the World of the Living and closed the doors to Takama-ga-hara, denying him entry._

_But eventually, the God of Life found his way back to his home._

_He walked right passed the guards, who all bowed down as he passed by. As he passed through a pair of large, ornate doors into a grand throne room, he continued walking towards the woman that sat in the middle throne. "Izanami. I would suggest you get out of my seat."_

_She caught sight of him and her face took on a stern expression. "Ah… Izanagi-no-Mikoto… you have returned. It has been a few centuries."_

_He continued walking towards the throne, at a brisk pace. "Are you going to get out of my throne, or am I going to have to use force, my dear?"_

_The severe woman scoffed and slinked out of the ornate throne. "FINE! Take your high-chair back! I'll get it back in due time, Izanagi. Or rather, what was that name you've been going by these days?"_

_Izanagi took his place on the throne. "Tsukuyomi. Amaterasu. Please see miss Izanami-no-Mikoto to the door."_

_A man with long, silver hair and a woman his exact opposite with flowing golden hair appeared, each placing one hand on the deranged goddess's back. "I will have my revenge, Izanagi! I swear on the deepest pits of Yomi, I WILL SEE YOU FALL!"_

_Just as they were exiting the room, she screamed one last thing at him, "BE SURE TO SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, GOD OF LIFE!"_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

Three weeks.

The silver-haired man rolled over in bed, away from the sunlight pouring through his window. Eventually, he gathered the initiative to pull himself out of bed. He tugged on his Shihakusho and reached for his Haori, a sleeveless one with light-gray lining, the number three emblazoned on the back.

He continued into the other room, his usual grin painted on his face. He was about to leave, but something on the kitchen table caught his eye. There was a small package, a box wrapped neatly in generic brown paper. Gin picked up the package, and flipped it over to see the words '_To Gin from Ran. Found this while investigating the cave. Thought you'd like it.'_

The cave? His smile faltered for a moment. Did he leave anything there? No… he didn't think so. They'd only been there for a day or so, and it wasn't like he had taken anything with him. Gin slipped a finger beneath the carefully folded paper and tore, sliding the neat white cardboard box out. He flipped open the flaps, to be pleasantly surprised at the contents.

It was a single aqua-green ribbon, Sakane's hair tie.

He plucked it out of the box, just staring at it for a moment before happily murmuring, "Aw, Rangiku… yer so thoughtful," and slipping it into his pocket.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Urahara-san!" the green-marked girl called, carrying a rather heavy box, "That new shipment of Gikongan arrived!" She plopped box down on the table and wiped her forehead. Her normally spiky black hair was held back by a blue-ish green bandana.

The shopkeeper poked his head in from the kitchen, "Oh? You mean the Chappy ones?"

She nodded and placed her hands on her hips, "Yep. We're going to have some happy customers with these ones," she said proudly.

Kisuke grinned and waved his fan. "Good job, Fujiwa-chan. Now, come on into the kitchen for some lunch. I was just entertaining a guest."

Fujiwa tilted her head curiously. "Guest?"

"Come on," he gestured invitingly.

Hesitantly, the Fujin followed the shopkeeper into the kitchen and sat down at the table, across from their 'guest'. She recognized him. He'd been at Orihime and Rentaro's wedding, and she was pretty sure he was the one that had taken on Nanami. The pale-skinned Arrancar with the tear-line, Ulquiorra, she believed his name was. She smiled. "Hello."

He nodded in acknowledgement.

Fujiwa sat patiently, waiting for Urahara to finish preparing lunch. She tried to keep her eyes drifting around the room, but since the Arrancar wouldn't take his eyes off her, she could help but have her gaze drawn to him every once and a while.

Eventually, she tried to break the silence. "So, Ulquiorra-san, was it? What brings you here?" she inquired.

The stoic Arrancar didn't move when he spoke. It was a tad unnerving, but easy to ignore. "I was sent to retrieve more supplies for the Las Noches kitchen, seeing as that the King, Queen, and young Prince say they are going to be spending more time in Hueco Mundo."

"Oh," Fujiwa said, "That's nice."

"Indeed."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"TAKAKI SACHIKO! GET DOWN FROM THAT STATUE THIS INSTANT!"

The blue-haired Bakeneko girl leaped from the statue of golden Amaterasu to the silver statue of Tsukuyomi. "No!" she replied, perching on the head of the large statue.

"Sachiko. Please, get down before someone catches you," came the flat voice of her twin brother, Sachirou. She narrowed her eyes at him. A few years ago, and she could've pulled rank, but _no_, Tsukuyomi just had to start liking men, too. Both her and her twin brother wore matching silver chokers, indicating them as Consorts of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. Out of all the different species of Youkai that belonged to harems of the various gods, Bakeneko were the majority, cat Youkai with humanoid forms, but with a tail and ears.

Yes, Kami were kinky bastards. One figured that one out _real _quick. She was actually surprised that Izanagi hadn't cracked and went all necrophilia on Izanami. But then again… UGH… bad mental image! BAD MENTAL IMAGE!

"Sachiko, why are you sitting on… erm, my head?" came a calm, silky voice.

The Bakeneko girl gasped and hopped down from the statue, landing steadily on her feet before falling to her knees. "Tsukuyomi-dono!"

Tsukuyomi was a grand sight, and, in Sachiko's own opinion, the most beautiful of all the gods. It was actually a standing debate of who was more lovely, Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu. The god of the Moon had long flowing silver hair, which he tied up with a blue ribbon. He wore robes of a dark blue, with silver lining, and his face… well, one would call him a 'Bishi,' let's just put it that way, youthful and flawless skin, defined muscles... Oh, and did he know how to handle a woman in bed…

"Sachiko, while I don't mind your occasional antics, please refrain from climbing on the statues. It's disrespectful, and neither I nor Sachirou should have to tell you this," he reprimanded her. His voice was always calm, even when he was angry, and that was what made Sachiko unsure if he _was_ angry, annoyed, or just disappointed. "As punishment," oh-no… "You will not be included tonight."

When speaking to a Consort, Kami did not have to specific about such things. Sachiko bowed her head lower, trying to ignore the pang in her chest, "Yes, Tsukuyomi-dono." While this certainly wasn't the first time this had happened, that didn't change that to Consorts such as her, to upset or anger their Kami was one of the most shameful things you could do. Many had learnt to ignore the pang of sadness that comes with upsetting their Kami, realizing that all of them would get reprimanded for _something_ eventually, but Sachiko wasn't one of them.

After Tsukuyomi had turned and left, Sachiko rose to her feet. "Ooo… harsh…" came a familiar voice.

"Whaddaya want now, Tsuneo?" Sachiko snapped, turning to the man.

Tsuneo, according to the golden choker around his neck, was a Consort of Amaterasu. He was also one of three brothers, the Sons of Raijin, the god of Thunder. That _would_ have landed him an immediate position in the Consorts of Susanoo, but the God of Storms was not interested in men. But _just_ to spite the Storm God, Amaterasu took the Son of Raijin into group of Consorts, a very exclusive group. The Sons of Raijin, while they had overthrown their father, did not go insane like the Daughters of Fujin had done so recently. So, Tsuneo now figured he had some kind of authority over the other Consorts. It was all very frustrating.

The Raijin just smirked. "Nothing, Sachiko-chan. Just watching some Bakeneko trash being stupid."

Okay. That pissed both of them off. Sachirou tensed. "I suggest you walk away if you value your pretty face, Raijin."

He pouted. "Aw… Kitty mad at me?"

Suddenly a feminine scream rang out through the palace. Sachiko clamped her hands over her ears, trying to block the sound. As it faded, a commotion made its way towards them. Soldiers, mostly lower deities and higher Youkai, rushed about the halls.

One of the Samurai stopped at the group. "All Consorts are currently required to return to their quarters. Stay away from the imperial section of the Palace, for your own safety."

"Why?" Sachirou asked, "What's going on?"

"The Shikome have infiltrated the Palace."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Izanagi-sama, what do you suggest we do?" said Amaterasu, her chime-like voice filling the room.

The god of life sat regally on his throne, the only thing out of place being the bandage now on his arm. "Amaterasu," he ordered, "Send one of your messengers to the Soul Society. I'm afraid we're going to need some outside help."

"Yes, Izanagi-sama."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** And that concludes chapter one of Sunlit Summons. Yay! I simply had a huge amount of inspiration for this story, but since I want to finish up PreludeToSadness and Emerald Teardrops before I really start anything new, this is all you're getting for now.


	2. Interruptions and Revelations

**A/N:** In this chapter, we get to see my favorite twist… watch out for some complex details… put your thinking cap on!

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Creatures of Myth II: Sunlit Summons

_Chapter Two: Interruptions and Revelations_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

"_Burning desire to live and roam free_

_It shines in the dark and it grows within me_

_._

_I'm dreaming in colors of getting the chance_

_I'm dreaming of china the perfect romance."_

_**-Utopia, Within Temptation**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It wasn't often that it rained in Soul Society. It made the pine trees surrounding the main house give off this musty smell that the woman would normally love. She loved that smell almost as much as she loved snow. She stood beneath the roof of one of the patios, the feeling of wet and cold coating her powdered skin.

The black-haired young woman's hands fisted in the skirts of her dress.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, it's clammy condition emphasizing the cold of her skin. She turned, her icy blue eyes meeting a darker pair. The girl shifted to face him. "I thought you prayed to Susanoo for good weather, father," she said calmly.

Shimizu Hakyu returned her solemn expression. "I did," he said with a sigh, "It seems that something has the Kami on edge today."

Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, "An omen? Does that mean we'll have to postpone…" she trailed off as her father shook his head.

"We made a good choice allowing the Shinigami Women's Association to collaborate with Amane," he said with a slight smile, "If the outdoors setup didn't work out, they had a Plan B setup in the main hall. They even had a Plan C that would take place at the Tenth Division."

The young woman let out a soft chuckle. "That's Ise Nanao for you. So organized it's criminal," she said, turning her gaze back to the pouring rain.

Suddenly, a large-chest woman burst through the door and grabbed the young woman by the arm, "Come on, Ao-chan! We have to finish up your hair! The wedding starts in ten minutes!" Rangiku said.

Ao laughed and waved to her father, "See you in approximately ten minutes, Dad."

The clan leader chuckled and waved back. "See you, sweetheart," he called after her as the Lieutenant tugged her back into the house. The clan leader reached one hand up to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. "My little girl's getting married," he blubbered quietly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amaterasu stood before a dark, yet small, cloud of smoke, which moved and had eyes as if it were sentient. "Now, Haku, I have something _so_ simple for you to do, that even _you_ can't screw it up," she said gently, like a mother speaking to a small child, despite the insulting words. "Go to Shimizu Hakyu. Got it? _Shimizu. Hakyu._"

The cloud made a rumbling sound.

"Good," she said slowly. "When you find him, open the link and I'll talk through you, okay?"

Again, it rumbled.

"Now, off with you!" she commanded.

The thing gurgled and floated away at a surprisingly fast pace.

The golden-haired woman plopped ungracefully onto a cushion, and exhaled. "I dislike dealing with Enenra."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Together, they stood at the altar. It was difficult to get Ao to cry, and it usually took a death or extreme trauma to make her do so, but by god had she gotten close. Her eyes were seconds away from filling to the brim with tears as she gazed at the man in front of her. Hitsugaya Toushirou, the boy who had saved her life, now the man she was marrying. The thought nearly made her burst into tears of happiness, but she held it back, merely allowing the smile on her face to grow even wider. He was taller than her now, if only by a few inches. He really was growing up, and this, specifically showed that.

"Hitsugaya Toushirou-taichou," Soma Chinatsu said, as she was once again acting as the priest, "Do you take Shimizu Ao-hime to be your lofty wedded wife, through sickness and through health, till death do you part?"

The enter room, even Ao, stopped breathing in anticipation for the captain's answer. There was the shortest of hesitation, small, but still, a hesitation. He cleared his throat. His was it. He was here, marrying a Tengu princess. It was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever do in the course of his lifetime. He was permanently tying himself to a society of supernatural beings, beyond him, beyond everyone. Not only did he barely know this woman… no, scratch that. He knew her better than anyone else, in spite of the short time they'd known each other, only about two months. It wasn't the prospect of being with her that was scaring him, it was the concept of being a part of her world. He could say he loved her without doubt, and she'd been there for him when he needed her. Her world might scare him, but with her by his side, he was sure they could make it through anything. "I do."

"And do you, Shimizu Ao-hime, take Hitsugaya Toushirou to be your lofty wedded husband, through sickness and through health, till death do you part?"

Ao opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, the door to the main hall burst open, a thick cloud of smoke congealing in the ceiling. "_**Shi…mi…zu…**_" it grumbled, "_**Ha…k…yu**_…"

The clan leader stood. "Hm?" a confused expression shone on his face, "A message for me?" He gestured, "Then, Enenra-san, let's hear it."

Suddenly, the cloud dropped to the ground, startling many of the guests. Slowly, it shifted into a feminine shape, a silhouette with long, flowing hair.

At the sight of this shape, Hakyu's eyes widened. "No… it can't be…"

A female's voice was projected throughout the hall. "_Hello? Hello? Haku? Did the connection go through? Come people, someone speak to me!" _At the sound of the voice, many of the Youkai guests kneeled, excluding Ao and Hakyu, the former seeming more than a little miffed.

A crazy grin found its way to the clan leader's face. "Amaterasu-sama!" he said welcomingly, "How've you been, o blinding one?"

The thing giggled, "Blinding… I haven't heard that one before. Anyways, I've been better. You still with Shiramae?"

Hakyu's face fell. "She should be with you now, shouldn't she?"

"Oh, my goodness, she died?" the thing apparently called 'Amaterasu' said disbelievingly, "Wow, that's just too bad… Neither Takama-ga-hara nor Yomi takes Yuki-Onna. They become snow, remember?" She paused, "Anyways, I've got something for you to do, Hakyu-kun." The smoke body turned, looking amongst the guests, "You wouldn't happen to have an Ichimaru Gin here, would you?"

Ichimaru raised a hand casually, "Righ' here, ma'am."

The figure nodded approvingly, looking around the room, "Yes, it seems we have everyone we need right here!" she announced cheerfully, "By order of myself, of course, and Izanagi-no-Mikoto, Shimizu Hakyu, Shimizu Ao, Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Ichimaru Gin are hereby summoned to Takama-ga-hara immediately!"

Those mentioned stared at the thing in shock as it held out a golden glowing finger. The figure lowered her arm, and a trail of glittering gold energy followed its finger. As she finished, it tore open, a glowing rift in the universe that created a moderate vacuum effect that seemed to only effect the aforementioned people.

As soon as they were pulled through the portal, it closed with a pop.

The remaining guests just sat there, staring at once more shapeless cloud of smoke. It grumbled and floated leisurely out of the room.

Chinatsu blinked. "Well," she said, "It seems like we'll be postponing after all."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The four plopped down in the middle of an ornate room, almost everything in the room a pristine gold or jade.

Ichimaru tilted his head. "Well shit."

Toushirou took in his surroundings. There were five thrones. To his left, a man with a scruffy black beard, and a man with long moonlight hair. To his left, a pleasantly plump woman who could give Matsumoto a run for her money, and a slender woman whose beauty seemed to rival the sun, with her long golden hair.

And in the center…

The captain's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger. He unsheathed Hyourinmaru and dashed towards the familiar man on the throne.

In rage, he screamed, "AIZEN!"

Before he reached the traitor, his blade was stopped by two others, the silver blade of Tsukuyomi, and the oddly green blade of Susanoo. Tsukuyomi merely nodded and a feline Youkai man jumped at Hitsugaya, snatching the Zanpakuto right from his hands. Hitsugaya looked around helplessly as both of the Tengu sat looking rather confused, and Ichimaru was actually frowning. The brown-haired man on the throne looked down at him. "I would suggest you calm down, Hitsugaya-kun," he said steadily, "My family is already on edge, and I doubt they will tolerate any assassination attempts. At least hear me out."

"BULLSHIT!" he seethed.

Ichimaru spoke up, "Wait a minute… so… ya actually did succeed, then, Sousuke-sama?"

The ex-captain sighed. "That, Gin, is not my name. It never was. "

Hitsugaya looked skeptical, enraged, but doubting.

The one previously known as Aizen Sousuke spoke, "I am Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the god of creation and life," he paused, "I will continue my explanation when Hitsugaya-taichou calms himself," he nodded to the two gods, "You may release the Shinigami."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Ichimaru interjected, "So… yer a Kami? Then why the hell did ya do the things ya did?"

Izanagi shook his head, "When Hitsugaya calms down. His mind needs to be fairly open to accept my story," he looked at the others, "Shimizu-hime," he started. The woman looked up, and he continued, "Please calm your fiancé."

She crossed her arms. "No."

The god blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

She bulked, "No. I'm _livid_ right now," she started walking towards the throne, "I don't care _who_ the _fuck_ you are, Aizen Sousuke or Izanagi-no-Mikoto!" She shrieked, revealing her wings and propelling herself towards the now rather disquieted god, "But you, in no way shape or form, have _any goddamned right_ to interrupt _my wedding_!" she stopped right in front of him, pointing her finger at his face.

Izanagi was taken aback. "Well… um…" speechless, he threw a frantic look at the plump woman.

The goddess smiled, "Shimizu-hime," she started.

Ao turned on her, "WHAT?"

"You could always get married here."

Suddenly all traces of rage melted from her features, replaced with a dreamy, disbelieving expression. "A wedding… in… Takama-ga-hara? Th – That's… that's… every Youkai girl's dream… I – I – I…" she gasped for breath, "I – I – I need a fan!"

The Goddess tossed the frantic girl a fan, which she promptly unfolded and proceed to fan herself, hyperventilating.

Aizen smiled, "Thank you, Uzume."

Ame-no-Uzume nodded, "No problem, milord," she looked back to the panicking Tengu princess, "I'll get working on the wedding plans as soon as possible. And I'll even call in a few favors and have Inari attend the wedding."

Apparently, it was just too much for the Tengu, because Ao fainted. Hitsugaya barely caught her before she hit the ground and hefted her into his arms bridal-style. She awoke moments later and began squealing like a fan-girl. She was just besides herself with manic joy. "Did you hear that Toushirou? We're getting married in Takama-ga-hara! _Takama-ga-hara_!" she giggled and kissed him, his eyes widening momentarily in shock, but he automatically kissed back. Of course, seeing as that his fiancée was still acting insane, he had to pull away and set her down. She then proceeded to hum to herself while twirling around the throne room, her multi-petticoat skirt flared around her in a graceful fashion.

Toushirou sighed and faced the man on the throne once more, his eyes narrowing in rekindled anger, which he had to give a conscious effort to reign in. "You have five minutes, Aizen."

"You 'eard him, Shirou-chan. His name is Izanagi-no-Mikoto," Ichimaru piped in, likely just to be a smartass.

The captain waved a hand dismissively at the grinning man.

Aizen, Izanagi, whatever his name was, began, "My entire goal wasn't to take over the world, it was to get the world back. You see, my ex-wife," Tsukuyomi snickered, to which Izanagi snapped, "Quiet, Tsuku!" he composed himself and continued, "My ex-wife, Izanami, escaped from Yomi and used underhanded tactics to dethrone me, and trapped me in the lower spiritual planes by sealing the passageways that led to Takama-ga-hara. I spent five hundred years evading the Shikome, disguising myself by wearing glasses and changing the style of my hair, even my general reiatsu signature. Kyouka Suigetsu, in fact, was never mine. I stole it. I'm not proud of that fact, but it was a necessary evil. Kyouka realized who I was and allowed us to enter a pact of sorts, she'd give me power over her Shikai abilities if I were to wield her, but never Bankai. In order to keep Izanami or the Shikome from taking notice of me, I made my public intentions ones that would never, ever realistically come to fruition. However, I indeed did underestimate Kurosaki Ichigo's power. I had never believed that a human or Shinigami, even in my weakened state, could defeat me. It threw quite the metaphorical wrench into my plans. Once Nazo Nanami approached me in Avici, I realized my sheer luck. The Daughters of Fujin were an elusive group, and I had been confidant that I would never have been able to locate them in time, which was what had led me to such… drastic measures in the first place."

Hitsugaya tilted his head upwards, "That doesn't excuse what you did to Hinamori, and everyone else."

Izanagi closed his eyes. "Hitsugaya-taichou, I never intended to kill Hinamori Momo in the first place. When you found me at the Immaculate Tower Grove, I said what I had to in order to satisfy the Shikome that was watching from the shadows. My ex-wife did this for vengeance and entertainment. The reason Izanami made it so difficult for me to return was that she wanted to see me do her job for her. To create the Oken, I would've had to kill. That's supposed to be her duty, and the irony of such a situation seemed to amuse her. I created the Espada with the sole purpose of keeping the Shikome at bay, for the Shinigami alone would neither be strong enough nor take orders from me."

Gin looked confused, "But what about all the plans ya told me 'bout?"

"I had no idea who was or was not an Agent of Izanami, so no Shinigami or Humans could know of my identity."

Hitsugaya crossed his arms, "That's a lot to swallow," he said steadily.

The one with the beard turned to Tsukuyomi, "Hey, Tsuks, guess what?"

"Hn?"

"That's what she said."

Amaterasu suddenly preformed a movement similar to Shunpo, placing herself directly in front of the bearded god, and landing a wicked backhand. "PIG!"

The god growled in anger, "What was that, Amaterasu?"

"You're a pig, Susanoo!" she snapped.

"Yes. And you're a swine."

She slapped him again before returning to her seat to grumble to herself.

The plump goddess laughed. "That was pleasant."

Susanoo and Amaterasu both said, "SHUT UP, UZUME!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** And you have now met the being I like to call "Aizanagi." You can see it now, can't you? If you re-read chapter one… he fits, character-wise. I realize he's a bit too humble and not eloquent enough here, but hey, he's been pretending to be a bad guy for a long time. He just wanted to get home. :D

As you can tell, I LOVE Aizen. And this works. If I didn't explain the concept well enough for you, though, I'm sorry.

Please review.


	3. The Queen

**A/N:** A quick warning: I've been reading Gone with the Wind again. I've been reading that monster for three years on and off and I'm just barely halfway through. The reason for this is its extreme long-winded-ness. Long-winded is the definition of this chapter. On that note, Yua is also a bit of an Expy in personality, but not in appearance. Spot the similarities between her and Scarlett O'Hara.

In addition, my explanation of why Yua's family name is what it is will be at the end of this chapter and will make perfect sense, I promise.

In order to avoid confusion, I would like to give the wiki definitions of some of the Gods/Youkai so far. It took me awhile to realize that not all anime fans are as big on Shintoism as I am… :P

Bakeneko: A shape-shifting cat.

Shikome: Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.

Tengu: A wise bird-like demon.

Tennin: A heavenly being. Breath-takingly beautiful. They can fly with the assistance of their feathered Kimono. (Similar to an angel, originated from Chinese Buddhism but was later imported into Shintoism. MY Tennin don't have the feathered kimono except for ceremonies. They have wings.)

Ame-no-Uzume: The Goddess of Mirth, Dawn, and Revelry.

Inari Okami: The androgynous kami of fertility (hence, why Uzume offered to have… it… attend the wedding), agriculture, and foxes.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto: The moon god.

Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto: The god of the sea and storms. Also considered to be the ruler of Yomi (let's ignore that last part. Artistic license reasons.)

Amaterasu-Omikami: The goddess of the sun and therefore the universe.

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Creatures of Myth II: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Three: The Queen

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"_For my dreams I hold my life_

_For wishes, I behold my nights._

_The truth, at the end of time_

_Losing faith makes a crime."_

_**- 'Sleeping Sun' by Nightwish**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The halls of Takama-ga-hara were gorgeous in their ornate splendor, but even in the intricate golden and crimson paintings on the shoji, there was an odd feeling of openness and simplicity. The only room that did not have simple wooden floors was the throne room, which boasted lovely stone tiling. Nearly a thousand servants lived in the castle, each in housed two-per-room in the hundreds of relatively small quarters. Each set of eight rooms was grouped around a decent sized common room. Personal servants of the Gods received their own rooms with marginally better quality furniture and amenities, but otherwise were treated the same as every other servant. Their wages were somewhat meager, but their employment also included room and board, so all was fair.

Administrative offices were in the east wing, taking up the space that the archive and museum didn't. There was also a somewhat large infirmary. The west wing included a very large gym, several relatively smaller ones, two pools, and a large spa and public bathhouse, which were open to guests, consorts, Gods, and servants alike. The central building had the bottom half of the rotunda, the throne room, and the servant's quarters, which took up most of the area. The kitchen and dining hall was also there, as well as a semi-private recreational room with board games and the like. Guests were housed in a decent sized building, separate from the main facility. It had all the comforts of the main castle, minus a lot of the hustle and bustle. Also separate were the guard barracks and the homes for their families. The barracks were still separate from the complex that housed the guards' families.

Unlike the very functional, very accessible and all-inclusive first floor, the second floor was open only to consorts, Gods, and select servants. When one ascended the stairway, one was greeted by five statues, the stormy jade Susanoo, the regal silver Tsukuyomi, the glorious golden Amaterasu, the imperious obsidian Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and the imposing marble beauty that was once Izanami-no-Mikoto's image. The rotunda doubled as a gathering point for the more sociable of the consorts, as well as being a central hub. Every hallway in the second floor led back to the rotunda, making it difficult for incompetent residents to claim that they 'got lost'. The rotunda itself had seven hallways leading away from it, three to each side and one at the north side. The east wing was mostly Susanoo's consorts, but there were several rooms for Amaterasu's consorts. The west wing was all Tsukuyomi's consorts. All of it. All the rooms; all of them. It was kind of sad. The rooms typically held six, as they were all the size of a large tennis court, but particularly favored consorts may only share a room with one other person, although most consorts preferred the six-per-room grouping, anyways. Privacy was achieved by hanging decorative curtains and netting from the ceiling, if he or she even cared about privacy. Consorts weren't generally known for being conservative in that manner. Each wing had its own pair of semi-private bathrooms for men and women, but nice-sized powder rooms were placed about two per hall.

Up the north hall were the Gods' rooms, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu claiming the two largest on either side, Susanoo had the other one on the same side as Amaterasu. Ame-no-Uzume's room shared a side with Tsukuyomi, and due the fact that she generally kept nicely to herself, she was content with its modest size. Her only request was that someone hurries up and soundproofs her walls so she could get a good night's sleep. Izanagi's room was at the very back, and the reason for its somewhat large size was not at all selfish, but it was consort related. It was because it was a shared room. He shared it with his one and only consort, a Tennin by the name of Yua.

Aizen Yua was the daughter of a prominent officer in the royal army. She was somewhat plain by Tennin standards; she had extremely dark brown hair and warm brown eyes, but she wore it well. She'd spent her childhood years practically attached to her father's ankle, and had picked up quite a bit of military strategy. She enjoyed the finer things in life, such as gourmet food, fine clothing, and the convenience of servants. Her etiquette was impeccable and her charisma and eloquence were evident. Social customs she tolerated, as while she was good at smiling convincingly and false niceties, she found little entertainment in doing so. During her teenage years, mystery novels and thrillers had been sufficient entertainment, followed quickly by psychology and strategy texts, but as she reached into her adulthood, she began to crave some excitement for herself. She wanted to test her mind and her abilities to manipulate people towards a goal. She started small, presenting herself to her servants as an expert on relationship advice. Manipulating her servants into situations that resembled television dramas had been fun for about a decade. Her next big step had been to influence indirectly all of her father's decisions that had anything to do with his job. Almost none of the changes that had led to his promotion had been his doing; it had all been her.

When her father had been promoted to the head of the Takamagahara Palace Guard, his family that consisted of his wife and two daughters came along with him. They brought with them a third of their original staff, and gifts such as the family library to add to the already existing one at Takamagahara. The sheer amount of books gave the small army of librarians mixed reactions, ranging from delight to horror at having to catalog them all. Yua spent most of her time in said archive, studying the ancient historical texts. She had been particularly interested in the three Senka Wars, and what documentation they had of the just-beginning Fourth Senka War. The rest of her time she spent socializing, getting as many connections as she could. She was particularly interested in the unwritten social structure of the consorts. Tsukuyomi's consorts seemed to be the butt of every joke, while Susanoo's girls were generally left alone when it came to gossip, and no one dared say a bad thing about Amaterasu's consorts, unless one was caught cheating but then he wouldn't be a consort much longer, anyways. It was better than the puppet show of servants she'd observed back home. It was a million times better, and at the same time, still lacking.

The moment she'd began pulling strings, though, Tsukuyomi noticed the change in his servants and quietly traced it back to the Tennin woman, dutifully relaying this fact back to Izanagi. Intrigued, the god had done some digging, uncovering the web of connections the woman had throughout Takamagahara Palace. The girl had some of the most respected servants and consorts on puppet strings. The most amusing thing was that she didn't even bother screwing with politics, but rather seemed to enjoy watching her own personal soap opera.

The two met for the first time in the Royal Archives. Yua had been reviewing an original copy of the Kojiki, when Izanagi entered. He had absently browsed the texts on the shelf opposite the bookstand Yua had placed the Kojiki on, when he reached a book that was unfamiliar to him. He smirked. "You know," he began off-handedly, "I was familiar with every book and text in this library until your family arrived with their gracious gift, Aizen-san," he commented.

Yua looked up briefly from her text, her blatant disinterest towards him obvious and unveiled on her elegant Tennin face. A moment passed before she blinked and looked up once more, this time moderately curious. She stepped from the book and turned towards him, bowing low at the waist. "Your majesty, Izanagi-sama," she greeted, putting on a smile. "To what do I owe this great honor, if I may ask?"

"Are you bored, Aizen-san?" he asked, completely out of the left field as he returned to browsing.

The Tennin straightened, her eyebrows furrowing from the sudden inquiry. "Not particularly, no," she said, trying to work out a good answer as she went, "Takamagahara has provided sufficient entertainment thus far, your majesty."

The God retrieved a book and flipped through a few pages before replacing it. "Oh? So you consider yourself content?" he noted her nod and smirked, "Gazing down at the mindless millings of the consorts does hold some amusement, Aizen-san, but if you think that to be true entertainment, I request you remember the subtle tugs and pulls you performed in order to be here today." With that, he finally turned and looked at her. She was wearing a simple dark pink Yukata, her dark brown hair pulled up into a bun and decorated with an elegant feather hairpin, typical of a Tennin.

Yua was shocked, if not a little indignant. "How…" she shook her head and sighed. "Politics and strategy were fun, your majesty, but now that I'm in Takamagahara, I've been cautious not to fiddle with anything vital. I suppose I fear the consequences should any plans go awry," she mused, folding her hands in front of her. She'd never actually spoken about this before and it made her somewhat hesitant.

Izanagi chuckled. "Consequences? I assure you, Aizen-san, there is little consequence to moving pawns across a playing board," he leaned back against the sturdy elm bookshelf, so laden with books that there was very little chance of it tipping. "Aizen Yua, how would you feel about having some real fun?" he propositioned.

She let out a short, unattractive cackle. "Fun?" she blurted in disbelief.

"Fun, Aizen-san," he paused, "Or rather, Yua-chan," he stopped to observe her suspicious expression with amusement, "I suggest a game. One on one, two chess masters pitted against each other."

"And if I win?" she asked, crossing her arms.

He smiled at her. "You receive the typical spoils of war."

She quirked a skeptic eyebrow. "Gold and glory?" she asked with a laugh. He gave a nod in answer. "And if I lose?" her inquiry opened Pandora's box.

A bemused expression spread across the deity's visage. "Nothing too unpleasant, Yua-chan," he straightened and approached her. "Nothing unpleasant at all."

Yua's eyes widened before a wild grin alit her face. "Oh, you're on, your majesty. You are so on."

A decade or so later as the Fourth Senka War reached its climax and Izanagi became the victor of the game; Izanagi-no-Mikoto approached the head of the Takamagahara Palace Guard himself to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Not simply binding as consort, but marriage. Even so, during the following years as the Fourth Senka War began to end, a red ribbon adorned the Tennin Aizen Yua's neck. That short span of five years during which she Aizen Yua had been the most powerful non-deity in Takamagahara had been the most fun five years of her life. Unfortunately, all good things ended.

During her husband's absence and Izanami-no-Mikoto's claim on the throne, everyone tried their best to keep the goddess from knowing exactly how close the Tennin woman and Izanagi were, lest they incite a jealous rage from the death goddess. The two hundred years of living in fear and posing as a librarian had nearly broken her, the worst experience was assisting her fellow librarians in burning every piece of historical text in the library. Izanami-sama hadn't wanted anything referencing her or her ex-husband to exist. Yua had been able to hide away several of the more vital texts by placing false book covers on them and hiding them in the fiction section of the library. It pained her to see the universe's only documentation of the first three Senka Wars go up in flame.

Two hundred years of eavesdropping and gossip mongering, just to find out what her beloved was up to. It had been pathetic. She had felt pathetic. Weak.

And when Izanagi-no-Mikoto finally returned to Takamagahara, clad in the odd black Keikogi of the Shinigami, she was the first person of his family to greet him, her eyes full of traitorous tears as she ran into his arms. She inquired curiously while being sincerely concerned about what he'd been doing. He told her of how he used the first names that had come to his mind, 'Aizen', which he had borrowed from her, and 'Sousuke', a very common name.

Now, about two months had passed since his return, and the subsequent attack from the Shikome had left Yua injured. She sat on her side of the bed, carefully replacing the bandages wrapped around her right arm. She had learned to count her blessings recently. Her appreciation for her finer luxuries grew over the years until she found that she really didn't particularly need them, but they were still nice to have. Izanagi lounged on his side, reading a novel. She smirked to herself. She had a little piece of news for him.

Yua finished wrapping her bandages and wiped the smile off her face, assuming her usual indifferent expression. She sprawled out on her side, head resting on her elbow, and began poking Izanagi's shoulder.

He didn't look up from his book, but his lip quirked upwards in a slight smile. "Yes, my dear?" he asked, bemused.

She began to ramble in a characteristic deadpan that she typically used to tell him mundane details about her day. He normally began to tune her out somewhat at that point. "So today I was having tea with Uzume-sama and she told me that I looked like I'd gained a bit of weight and I was like 'improbable as I have been getting lots of exercise,'" he was tuning her out. Good. "So she thought I should go to the infirmary and see if there was another reason. I went and Uzume tagged along, as she wanted to know, too. And so I asked some nurse to check it out and turns out there is a reason and I made Uzume swear to secrecy until I told you about it," she poked him harder, catching his attention for a brief second. "Preggers," she said in singsong voice.

Izanagi raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Yua pursed her lips. "Of course it is. Have I ever lied to you," she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Well, that was the premise of our game, my dear," he said with a grin.

She shrugged and unconsciously placed a hand on her navel. "So, do you want to spend the evening pondering whether the child is going to be a Kami or a Tennin, or do you want to celebrate?" she asked nonchalantly.

The Kami set his book aside. "It is within our ability to do both at the same time, Yua, you know that just as well as I do," he said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Welp. There is about five hours of my life, right here. I'm actually really, really, proud of this. I have floor plans of Takamagahara Palace stuffed away somewhere. I could go dig them up and upload them to my DeviantART is you want. I doubt you'll find them very impressive though. I just used them as a stepping stone so I could actually see what this building looked like in my head. I actually made some changes as I wrote this.

As this chapter has a total of ONE canon character in it, I hope I was able to keep Aizen Sousuke in character while still depicting him as Izanagi. I would appreciate some feedback on that. Also, please review. Even if just to say that you a) love this and want me update asap, or b) hate and think I should die in a hole.


	4. Delusions

**A/N: **You can consider this chapter the reason this fic exists. You see, occasionally, I make PVs. You know, you see them on youtube a lot alongside the AMVs. Like a lot of those amazing videos that are almost always from niconicodouga, I hand draw every single image. The song used as the quote here is Izanami's theme song. Oh yes. Definitely. It was an amazing PV, but I cannot upload it due to third party content. Le sigh. And guess what? This is chapter four! CHAPTER OF DEATH!

Also, these are the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan: sword Kusanagi, the mirror Yata no Kagami, and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama.

One last thing. The Arrancar call Kazuhiro "Bocchan," which means "young master." I chose to use this honorific because Kuroshitsuji. :3

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Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Four: Delusion

. . . .

"_Every word you're saying is a lie_

_Run away my dear, for every sign will say your heart is dead_

_Bury all the memories, cover them with dirt_

_Where's the life we once had? Our destiny's unsure._

_._

_Closer to insanity, buries me alive_

_Where's the live we once had, it cannot be denied_

_Why can't you see what we had, let the fire burn the ice!_

_Where's the love we had, is it all a lie?"_

"_**Fire and Ice" By Within Temptation**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

The dark was a wonderful place to hide, yet, as she looked down at her pale, rotting skin, she couldn't help but feel a creeping disgust.

Rogue flickers of firelight brought the small cavern some modicum of illumination, reflecting off the shards of broken glass that littered the floor. She stepped forward, a large piece of mirror becoming embedded in her cold, dead foot. The woman didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't care.

The fallen goddess stood before a stone pedestal, upon it a nice sized glass basin of clear water. She scowled, the dried half of her face protesting to the strain. What atrocious acts of adultery was her husband up to today, she wondered with such sarcasm that it oozed from her. Hands on either side of the basin, she called up a location she had watched somewhat often: her old bedroom, the room that had belonged to her and Izanagi centuries ago. The water mirror did not deliver sound, but over the millennia, she had taught herself to lip read. Even she could admit that she wasn't particularly good at it, but she managed. Before her was a scene she had seen many times, oh so many times. The lovely couple lay in bed, the woman wrapped fresh bandages around the wound that Izanami's Shikome had inflicted on her.

Izanami watched the scene play out before, her eyes narrowing and finally, as Yua delivered her message, Izanami's face twisted in rage. With a vicious roar, she struck the basin, water spilling out over the uneven stone floor as more shattered glass scattered across the ground. That horrid woman had taken her place. That damned Tennin! How _dare_ she? How… _dare_ she! The goddess gasped for breath, the pounding in her chest too powerful as she dropped to her knees. Small shards of glass cut into her hands, but not a single drop of blood leaked from her skin. She pulled her kimono aside, partially baring her chest. Her heart was barely visible through the pasty, porous remains of flesh. It thumped pitifully as she attempted to calm her breaths.

She brought a hand to her head, the side that had yet to rot away, and ran a hand through the glossy strands of dark hair. To her utter astonishment, she felt her hair give beneath her fingers as dead locks fell to the floor. At first, she could feel the remains of rage bubble up in her chest, but it withered into sorrow. Her hair – at least, on the right side of her head – had been one of the only features she retained of her living self, and now she was losing it, too. Her lips spread in frustrated scowl as tears fell from her only eye. These, the last features that could show Izanagi that she was still the same woman who lov-

No.

With a scoff, she stood, wiping away the offending droplets of water. She straightened her kimono and proceeded into a considerably smaller antechamber that held a single object within a niche on the wall. Daintily, she lifted the headpiece up to the dim candlelight, the eerie shadows flickering as precious stones of opal and obsidian glimmered against the platinum crown. Izanami-no-Mikoto grinned and set the sign of her sovereignty gently on her head. Standing still for a moment, she admired the weight of it. When she had first donned the tiara, it had been a heavy burden, causing her head to bow beneath its heftiness. However, as the centuries passed and the great responsibility became something she did for fun and her morality shrunk, it became as light as Tengu's feather.

There was a greater source of light beyond the antechamber. She continued towards the threshold, her head held high as she passed through into the seemingly endless cavern, with a ceiling a mile high. She stood high atop the huge trenches of fire, safe on the surrounding ledge. The sweet sound of thousands of treacherous souls screaming reached her ears, and she gazed amusedly down into the fires of Jigoku, the blazing flames of Hell. A smug smile reached her face as she angled her head upward, looking down upon her kingdom. Jigoku was hers, but the level above belonged to Susanoo, the dark blackness of Yomi was not foreign to her. In fact, the fool had asked her to watch over his kingdom while he vacationed in Takamagahara. If she were any less prideful, she would've let Yomi go to wastes, but instead, she had secured the realm in the same pristine, orderly condition as she did Jigoku. Despite her vast efforts to keep his domain in top efficiency, she had yet to see but a single favor in return. Perhaps a little payback was in order.

The goddess scowled and turned from the fiery pits, stalking off in the direction of the passage upwards. Shadows gathered around her, condensing and solidifying into eight pitch-black forms. "_What do you wish of us, Master?_" came a feminine voice.

Izanami narrowed her eye. "Susanoo has yet to return the grand favor of tending to his realm. We should give him a reminder worthy of the fiends of Jigoku."

A different shadow giggled, a terrifying sound. "_Any ideas, Master?_"

She thought on that for a moment before her eye widened in excitement. "Steal one of the Three Regalia and hide it in Karakura town. The ambient spiritual pressures of the area would keep it from being detected unless someone was within reach of it. The sword would be preferable, as it used to belong to Susanoo before it was presented to Amaterasu, he would be blamed for it." She could see the sun goddess's enraged face now. Tsukuyomi as well, as all evidence would point towards Susanoo. She grinned and shooed her minions, "Go, go!" she commanded as they hissed and melded back into the shadows.

Her plan would not fail. No. It really wouldn't. Her plans never failed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Las Noches was always too white, so by taking from Aizen's somewhat vast stash of money (it was probably mainly for tea, fabrics, and food), the Kurosaki family had placed a gargantuan order in with Urahara Shoten for carpeting, paint, wallpaper, and some hardwood flooring, as well as a huge order for more colorful furniture. Of course, Soul Society still owed Ichigo more money than they'd ever care to admit, but he was just a little reluctant to tap into that. He may as well exhaust the previous owner's funds before using up his own.

"Ichigo-sama, wanna help me with this?" Nelliel asked, her back was to him as she held the ties of the denim apron.

"Yeah, sure," he stood from pouring paint and tied the apron in a firm bow. "There."

She turned and smiled. "Thank you." She had her long aqua hair tied back in a ponytail, but she was also wearing a plain white headband that tied in the back and covered part of her forehead. Nelliel reached into the tool-belt at her hips and handed him a strip of white fabric.

Ichigo looked at it dumbly. "Um…"

Nel had already run off, giving everyone the same band of cloth. "Hachimaki for everyone!" she exclaimed, "They'll get you pumped up!"

The Vizored grinned and tied his headband similar to Nel. They already had every single television in the citadel showing the Home and Garden Channel, which, appropriately enough, was currently running a marathon of Color Splash, and Grimmjow had his music CD collection playing over the intercom system, but apparently, someone had snuck in and replaced one of the Metallica albums with a Kesha CD they'd swiped from Szayel. Ichigo could safely assume that none of the Arrancar really understood what being said, and he was glad, because he did. Did Americans listen to such… vulgar music? It's only redeeming quality was that it was catchy as a disease.

They had agreed that personal quarters were up to the occupants whether they wanted paint or wallpaper, but they were color-coding the hallways and that was final. In addition, they were placing nice, friendly maps at every major intersection as well as signs pointing to important rooms. They were knocking out a few walls to reduce the number of unoccupied rooms as well as make the mess hall bigger. The section of the citadel that had been decimated by Yammy was being cleared out and ignored. Really, he'd only knocked out a small portion of the place. Las Noches was a large, sprawling _mess_. They certainly didn't need this much building.

"Yo, Ichigo!"

He turned once more to see Tatsuki, still in her pure white nightgown and cradling their son in her arms. Normally, this would be a very picturesque, happy sight for him to see, and it would be if not for the look of pure irritation on his wife's face. "Suki, what's wrong?" he asked, a little hesitant.

"What the hell is this garbage blaring over the sound system?" she asked.

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know, yet another tone deaf American woman?" He paused, "It is kinda… catchy, though."

"Like a disease," Ulquiorra said, not looking away from the wall he was painting a nice light jade color. He was dutifully wearing his Hachimaki, unexpectedly. It was a bit of an amusing sight.

"That's what I thought," Ichigo agreed.

Halibel – also wearing a headband - walked up to Tatsuki and gently covered the sleeping Kazuhiro's ears. "Bocchan should not be exposed to such disgusting music."

Ulquiorra nodded. "I agree completely." He looked around the meeting room, "Vega!" he sort of yelled.

The fraccion looked up from polishing the table. "Yeah, Ulquiorra-sama?"

"Go to my room and retrieve one of my music CDs-"

"No," Halibel cut him off, possibly fearful of what kind of music Ulquiorra was into, "Go to my quarters and get one of my-"

Nel jumped, "Wait! I've got some CDs, too! Mostly K-pop-"

"Shut up," Tatsuki said firmly and everyone complied, "Look, I haven't gotten a good night's sleep for a week," she turned to Ggio, "Go to Ichigo's and my quarters, take the CD out of the stereo in there, go to the main security room and take _all of Grimmjow's CDs_ out and put in that one on repeat all. Got it?"

Ggio nodded and rushed off.

After a few moments, Nel asked, "What kind of CD is yours?"

Tatsuki sighed. "It's just a mix of all the songs that played at the wedding."

"Which wedding?" Nel asked.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at her. "Which one do you think?"

Suddenly, Kesha's electronic voice was cut off, and after a brief pause, the opening piano of Regina Spektor's "Us" played over the sound system. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at the lyrics, but Nel was soon full of pep and swaying to the beat, brandishing her paint roller with skill.

The Queen of Hueco Mundo smiled contentedly. "There. That's much better," she said before turning to return to her quarters.

Before she could leave, Ichigo caught her by the waist and pulled her towards him. Her face said she was not amused. "What?"

Ichigo grinned. "Oh, nothing," he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Have a nice nap," he said, releasing her.

She made a snort-like sound. "Ha. You bet I will."

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**A/N:** Ah, had to force myself to sit down and write this. Although, it was kinda fun. My Beyond Birthday Shimeji was being a troll, though. He kept stopping right over the sentence I was typing. Ah, Shimejis. One time, I left on a Szayel and my BB Shimeji on my comp overnight. When I checked it in the morning I had an army so large that I could not see around the edge of my screen. They reproduce asexually by multiplying. It's freaky sometimes.

I hope you enjoyed! I would prefer some feedback if it isn't too much of an inconvenience. I understand that sometimes people just don't know what to say. Just call me out on my crap and OOCness, or say you love it. Both are adequate and much accepted reviews.


	5. Renewal

**A/N:** Well… I should be working to get PtS done before school starts, and there are really only three, maybe four chapters to go in it… but due to the mass of wonderful reviews I have received from DGtnsl, I just have all these feels. I also need to restrict myself from making a FMAB OC… (I have this wonderful idea for a female Drachman spy… but… too many… stories…)

Well, right now… I kind of want to write about Ao, but I also want to write the new reveal… and let's have Sachiko being a trollolol… m'kay, we can do this.

**By the way, the events of chapters three and four happened before the events of chapter two.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach, nor do I own Bleach, but I do own my characters, which are too numerous to list. Unless you want me to try.

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Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Five: Renewal

. . .

"_This is me for forever, one of the lost ones_

_The one without a name_

_Without an honest heart as compass."_

"_**Nemo" by Within Temptation**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shortly after the confrontation in the throne room, a young woman – Ao figured she was a Tennin – came to give them a tour. The introduced herself as Aizen Yua, which had caused a few odd looks, but was eventually disregarded. However, Ao was confused. The red choker around her neck looked like it was for a consort, but she thought that consorts only came in the bitchy (Susanoo's girls), pompous (Amaterasu's boys), and slutty (Tsukuyomi's consorts) varieties. Serene did not describe consorts, yet this woman was a consort. She didn't know whom the color red was supposed to represent.

The Tennin woman showed them the library, and surprisingly she knew quite a bit about its contents. Again, it was unexpected for a consort. Perhaps Ao's opinion was affected by stereotypes, but nevertheless. After that, she led them to the dining hall, where one could get food at just about any hour of the day.

She smiled at them, her arms folded inside the sleeves of her Yukata. "I know the east and central buildings are boring to some, but I saved the best for last," she said as she led them towards the west wing.

Ao tilted her head. "Last? But isn't there a whole other floor?"

"Yes, but it's for non-serving residents only," she clarified, "Guests and servants are not allowed."

"Yua-samaaaaaaaa!" came a high-pieced shriek.

The Tennin's eyes widened and she braced herself. "Oh fu-"

A blue-haired neko woman jumped at her, in a gesture that could only be called a glomp. "Yua-sama why didn't you tell me?" there were tears in her eyes as she complained, "I thought you and I were supposed to be bestiest friends five-ever but no Uzume-sama got to know first! Yua-sama that is so unfair and I should un-friend on f-book right now!"

"I thought the threat was to stop following me on Tumblr," Yua deadpanned. "I don't even use those websites, Sachiko-san."

"If you did, I would've known because you would have posted about it and I would have known!" she cried. Just then, the woman's apparel seemed to register. She was decked out in full dominatrix gear, except it was light blue, like her hair and tail.

Yua sighed. "Sachiko, be careful," she said, indicating her bandaged arm.

The Bakeneko jumped back and wrung her hands, bowing. "I'm sorry, Yua-sama, I didn't notice and should have been more cautious." Her eyes shifted and she spotted Hitsugaya and Ichimaru. Her face lit up as she bounced towards them. "Wow, your hair is white but you're so little… ah, and your hair is silver like Tsukuyomi-dono's!" She clapped happily. Ao's suspicions were confirmed. This woman was a stereotypical consort of Tsukuyomi.

"Sachiko!" a man that looked nearly identical to the woman jogged towards them. He was dressed more conservatively than the woman, but his hair was much longer. "What have I told about bothering Yua-sama?" he scolded.

She scowled. "But Sachirou, I was just-"

He cut her off. "But nothing. If you had distressed Yua-sama in anyway, especially considering her condition, Izanagi-sama would have been very cross."

Sachiko pouted. "I was just curious about the baby."

Yua gave a kind smile, reminiscent of Unohana. "Sachiko, I think Uzume-sama wanted to see you about planning a wedding for a pair of our guests, here," she said, gesturing to Ao and Toushirou. "Why don't you take them with you?"

The Bakeneko's lips rose into a large grin. "That sounds amazing! Okay!" She grabbed Ao and Toushirou by the wrists and dragged them with her, followed shortly by a miffed Sachirou.

That left Yua alone with Gin. Hakyu, having been to Takamagahara on several occasions before, had not accompanied them. She let out a heavy sigh and put a hand to her head, leaning against the wall. "Morons," she muttered, her face turning somewhat dark. She shook her head and turned to Gin, the blank expression on her face startling him. "You. Your name is Ichimaru Gin, am I correct?" she asked.

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Yep. Why?"

"Do you know of the Nazo sisters?" Gin took in a sharp breath, but Yua continued, "Most of them have died recently, you know, the Daughters of Fujin?"

Ichimaru swallowed. "Indeed I do, Yua-san."

Yua's blank face morphed into a smile. "Come with me," she said, and gestured for him to follow her. He did, and was a little surprised when she began leading him upstairs. Once they reached the second floor of the rotunda, she led him off to the east. They passed a few rooms, and she stopped at one towards the end of the hall, and knocked.

A normal female servant answered the door. "Oh, Yua-sama. My mistress is napping right now. I would appreciate it if you came back later," she began to close the door, but Yua stuck her foot in the door.

She glared at the girl, who attempted to glare back but faltered. "That's odd, Reiko, because your mistress hasn't gone to Susanoo's room for the past three nights," she scowled, "Is she having nightmares again?"

The servant girl said nothing.

"I asked you a direct question, Reiko!" she barked.

Reiko looked down at her feet, her tawny hair falling in front of her face as she clenched her fists. "She doesn't know what to make of them! You know just as much as I do that she doesn't want to remember, Yua!" she replied hotly.

Yua leaned back at the lack of honorary. "You seem to forget that as Izanagi-no-Mikoto's wife, I deserve complete and utter respect from the likes of a serving girl, Reiko. Now what did you call me?" she demanded.

Woah wait. Ichimaru stepped back, not wanting to be caught in what seemed to be a power struggle. He didn't know that Sousuke had had a girl back home. That changed Gin's perspective on Izanagi's motives significantly.

Reiko lifted her head and glared. "No. Ever since you started meddling with her, she's gotten worse. She's been dreaming of killing people, Yua, and it's so bad that she wakes up shaking and refuses to tell me about them!" She straightened her posture. "All this is your fault, you damned Tennin!" she roared.

The following crack of the back of Yua's hand hitting the servant's face resounded down the hallway. This was not the woman he had met downstairs, but he had a feeling that this ruthless noblewoman was her true self, and not the kind persona she had taken earlier.

A wary voice drifted from beyond the door. "Reiko, what's going on?"

Reiko rubbed the growing welt on her cheek, but was visibly taken down a notch. "Yua-sama was just leaving-"

"Oh, no you don't, you disrespectful little-"

A tall woman came into sight, her long black hair disheveled from sleep. She yawned as she lazily rubbed her eyes. "Yua-sama, what's this-" her gaze fell on Ichimaru.

Her turquoise eyes widened in fear as she, Nazo Sakane, screamed. She stumbled back, sprawled on the floor. "I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, still dreaming, still dreaming," she muttered repeatedly, her hands entangling in her hair.

Both Reiko and Yua put aside their differences and ran to Sakane's side, while Gin stared on bewilderedly.

"Sakane-san, what's the matter?" Yua asked, sincerely concerned.

"Nazo-sama, please, tell us," the serving girl pleaded.

What Gin was seeing hadn't quite registered to him yet. What was bothering him, though, was the jade green choker that wrapped around her neck like a collar.

She whimpered, pointing at me as she crawled back to get as far as possible. "Him! That man! He's always there, always smiling no matter what… He killed me! Just a few moments ago… He's the reason I'm here, goddammit!"

Yua's eyes narrowed and turned to look at me. "Ichimaru… what is she talking about?"

Gin stared at the three horizontal scars across her left cheek, obviously left over from Rentaro's attack. She no longer had markings on her face, or perhaps she had begun covering them again. Ichimaru gave Yua a steady look. "I killed her."

Reiko growled. "You… Do you have any idea what you did? Do you have any idea how miserable she's been since she arrived here!"

Ichimaru frowned. "This is not the Nazo Sakane I killed. The Sakane I killed was a glutton for Senka flesh who reveled in her enemies' pain. She tortured, manipulated and cheated to get want she wanted. However, she was brave beyond words, sensible and knew when she was losing," Ichimaru's blue eyes peeked through from behind his eyelids. "She was going to die anyways. At that point, it was either kill her then, or save her enemies more pain."

Yua stood and approached him. "Ichimaru Gin. Whatever you did, whatever said, something about how she died, she was redeemed and her soul came to Takamagahara. Otherwise, she would've followed her sisters to Jigoku," she paused thoughtfully, "For this, I thank you. I think she would've been more miserable in Hell than she is here."

Gin shook his head. "Don't thank me." He narrowed his eyes once more and took a step toward Sakane. He squatted, bringing his eyes to her level. She flinched away instinctively. "I heard somethin' about you wanting to remember your time in Soul Society. Tell me about that?"

Sakane's eyes narrowed at him. "I-I want to know how I was redeemed," her eyes darted around the room nervously. "Do you know?"

He sighed. "I think so."

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was getting late, and Fujiwa was tired. She didn't exactly have to sleep much and her endurance was through the roof, but after staying up all night for the past three days had begun to wear her down. Urahara had noticed that she had been getting bored whenever she finished her work, so he gifted her a set of seven popular books about a special young wizard. She hadn't slept since. Currently, she was on the fifth book, and things were beginning to escalate. However, her eyes were stinging from over-use. She needed to sleep but she just couldn't put it down.

She sighed and placed a bookmark, setting the book on her nightstand. Fujiwa rubbed her eyes and stretched, giving a yawn. After her sisters had died, she'd been left to inherit their powers and strength. The power that once had been divided between the four of them now coursed through her veins.

The moment she closed her eyes, the earth began to shake. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately got out of bed and reached out to sense any spiritual activity. She sensed nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but something had changed. Now, a familiar feeling of storm and wind ran as an undercurrent. She picked up her sword from its case beneath her bed and attached it to the sash at her waist. As soon as she was sure she had everything she needed, she pushed the window open and leaped out into the night. Winds encircled her as she ran, speeding up her pace as she began to trace the anomaly to its source. She arrived at a single house, standing out amongst the surrounding apartment buildings. The anomaly was coming from beneath the house, she noticed, and wondered if they had a basement.

Fujiwa cautiously approached the door, her hand reaching out to knock when she realized that no one would be awake at this hour, and the residents wouldn't let her in their home without a good reason. She stepped away from the door and looked around her, searching for an open window. She found one on the second floor. Gathering the winds around her, she lifted herself up into the room.

Landing deftly on the carpet, she observed her surroundings. It was a woman's room, she could tell by the décor. She took a quick glance at the sleeping redhead to see that she hadn't been disturbed. Silently, Fujiwa exited the room and proceeded downstairs. She found the entrance to the basement fairly easily and opened the door. With silent steps, she descended into the dark basement. She stumbled briefly, but managed to locate a light switch. Her eyes widened as she looked around. This space was not even vaguely functional. The cluttered, maelstrom of a basement was obviously used for storage only.

Narrowing her senses to the room, she followed the source of the abnormal energy, and after digging through a pile of old wicker baskets, she found it.

"This… this is…" her eyes widened and she reverently lifted the ancient sword. In her knowledgeable eyes, it seemed as if to glow with the power of storms. In her hands, she held one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. What had it been doing in a basement?

She heard the creak of the basement door opening and gasped. She attached the sword's sheath to her sash along with her katana and looked around for some place to hide, finding none.

The woman held a large butcher knife in her hands, but Fujiwa knew that she could over-power her if necessary. She wore a bathrobe, and her half-rimmed glasses had been hastily slid onto her face. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was disheveled from sleep. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "Are you one of those Arrancar things?!"

Fujiwa blinked. "Um… no. I'm Nazo Fujiwa. I- I… um," if this woman knew about Arrancar, she probably knew Urahara. "I work at Urahara Shoten."

Her eyes only narrowed further. "What are you doing here?"

"I sensed a weird anomaly in ambient reiatsu and traced it back to your basement."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, did you find it?"

Fujiwa nodded and showed her the sword.

Her eyes widened. "Why would granny have something like that down here?" she said in disbelief. She shook her head and looked Fujiwa in the eye. "What did you say your name was, again?"

"Nazo Fujiwa," she repeated.

The woman nodded. "I'm Honshou Chizuru. I've worked with Urahara before. The man's a lunatic, but then again, most of us were back then," she snorted. "We all were." She shrugged. "Well, might as well come upstairs and have some tea, ne, Fujiwa-chan?"

Fujiwa blinked. "Um. Sure. Okay."

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**A/N:** I said that Fujiwa and Ulquiorra would find companionship in each other. Companionship does not mean a romantic relationship. In this case, I meant friendship. Besides, Fujiwa's a lesbian… I stated as much. She prefers females.

Le sigh. Sachiko was just being weird before. While they have access to the internet, I doubt anyone uses it too often.

Oh. And Sakane's back. Forgot about that for a minute. Lol. Ahaha, no one in my Bleach stories is ever killed off for real (except in PreludeToSadness. Oh, and Shimizu Hotaru is dead for real and so is Mira. Neither of them are coming back). I love exploiting the soul cycle. I love it.


	6. Incrimination

**A/N:** I forgot about this for a while… I can't believe I forgot. Lol I want to have drama happening in all four worlds here. Here's a Soul Society chapter. More glorious insight to the back-story of the Shimizu family. A lot of fifth Senka War stuff. (Lord of deer I love the fifth Senka War… this is going to be so fun to write!) Um… and please, forgive the small amount of retroactive continuity (retcon)… I didn't think I'd ever go into this much detail.

When Chihana Kei mentions her sister's Vassals, she is referring to a group of six highly trained warriors that served her. Most clan leaders have Vassals, and you did see a few of Hakyu's back in the first book when he went to visit Hitsugaya but instead ended up getting smashed with Rangiku.

Hitotsume-kozo (lit. one-eyed child): Child-like Youkai with only one eye, like a Cyclops. They don't like noise.

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Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Six: Incrimination

. . . .

"_Interchanging mind control,  
>come let the revolution take its toll,<br>if you could flick a switch and open your third eye,  
>you'd see that<br>we should never be afraid to die"_

"_**Uprising" by Muse**_

. . . . . . . . . .

Many years had passed since Chihana Chiume had last sat within the walls of a main house, let alone dine with the inhabitants. She'd never once regretted the events that led to her self-imposed exile, but occasionally she'd remember something she missed, and she did indeed miss many things she had when she still lived at the Chihana house. Memories of Chihana Shigeko's smiling face haunted her dreams as much Kei's scowling visage did. She missed both of them so much.

She sipped her tea. The Soma Kitsune welcomed her with surprising amounts of kindness, despite her status as an outlaw. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she had caution when letting her name drop. Not many members of the Soma family knew that she had once belonged to the Chihana clan; most only knew her given name. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"Chiume-san?" a voice asked from the doorway.

The Shirohebi turned, seeing one of the Kitsune's Hitotsume-Kozo servants peeking from behind the door. "Hello," Chiume said, "What is it?"

"Hikaru-sama has demanded your presence."

Demanded. What a specific word. Chiume sighed and stood, abandoning her tea. "Of course," she said, adjusting her top at the waist. "I'll head over to the elders' meeting room-"

The boy said something in a whispery voice. "Pardon?" Chiume prompted.

"You are wanted in the visiting hall. There is a visitor."

She blinked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "For me?"

He nodded.

Chiume's face twisted downward into a snarl. "Who?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

"Presenting the rightful and just leader of the Shirohebi, Chihana Kei!" Announced one of the small, snake-like servants that the Shirohebi had brought with her.

A tall, stately woman entered the room, her snake-like eyes glaring down at the Chiume in contempt. Her movements were slithering and appropriately snake-like. Her pulled-back dark hair did not help her reptilian appearance. Her mouth was downturned into a seemingly permanent frown.

Chiume hissed and glared at the two Kitsune guards that were holding her arms on either side, and then looked to Rentaro, who was seated across the way along with a somewhat distressed Soma Orihime. "Liar," she spat, "You gave your word that you wouldn't reveal my location."

Rentaro raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? I'm sorry, but I had a talk with Shimizu Hakyu," he scowled, shuddering in his rising anger. The accompanying power permeated the room, a pressure of such intensity that Chiume began to find it hard to breath. Such power was a sure testament to his status as the one who claimed the Senka Maiden. "… and the Soma clan does not harbor murderers," he finished, his voice flat with cold fury.

She growled. "You got your justice, Soma. Nazo Sakane is dead, and yet you wish to exact your vengeance on me as well?" she accused, her voice rising in force.

"Enough, Chiume," Kei interrupted. "You will answer for your crimes, both against the Soma family and mine," she said, her voice carrying a noticeable hiss-like quality that, while most Shirohebi faked it for shits and giggles, was a natural and true part of her voice.

"The Soma family will conduct the trial," Rentaro announced. "Her crimes against our family could not be any worse that the ones she committed against the Chihana family."

Kei hissed, her eyes narrowing. "I'd think before you _ss_speak, child," she shot, "This criminal murdered my sister."

"She killed my father," Rentaro shot back at her, his expression stony.

The Shirohebi's eyes widened and she backed down. "It seems that I am the one that should think prior to speaking. My apologies and condolences." Her eyes narrowed and she turned back to Chiume. "Just one thing has had me curious, though," her face twisted in an emotion that Chiume couldn't decipher. "How could you kill her, Chiume? She trusted you with her _life_, and you just…" her glare hardened. "You were her most trusted Vassal, and you betrayed her. Why would you do such a thing?" she demanded, her voice as hard as her glare.

Chiume clenched her teeth and looked down at her feet. "Chihana Shigeko wanted to claim the Senka Maiden," she murmured.

"Excuse me?" Kei said, not quite hearing what the rogue Shirohebi had said.

"Chihana Shigeko was going to fucking eat Shimizu Hotaru!" Chiume shouted, plunging the entire room into stunned silence.

After a few moments, the one to break the silence was Orihime, who was excusably confused. "I'm sorry, but who is Hotaru? I know Hakyu-san, but not Hotaru."

Rentaro was staring at Chiume in shock along with the rest of the room. "She was the Senka Maiden before you, as well as Shimizu Hakyu's wife," he managed.

Orihime nodded before something else occurred to her. "What happened to her?"

"Seven years after the Fifth Senka War, she died in childbirth," he explained.

Her brow furrowed. "Then…" Chiume could see the gears turning in the Lady's head. When it clicked, she jumped, looking reasonably distressed. "This is a misunderstanding," she exclaimed, "Chiume-san saved my life, and also Hotaru-sama! She's a hero, not a criminal!"

Many of the Kitsune in the room didn't like their Lady's conclusion, including Rentaro. "'Hime, she killed my father and kidnapped Shimizu-sama. Chihana Chiume is a criminal. It doesn't matter how many people she has saved. She must pay for her crimes," he said, a little confused that her opinion didn't match his.

Orihime's eyes widened and her eyebrows turned upwards as she pursed her lips. "But she saved me and stopped… that woman from fighting! You pardoned Ichimaru-san, so why not her?"

Rentaro crossed his arms. "Ichimaru Gin is a Shinigami. If he faces any punishments, it will be from their hands," his eyes narrowed. "I don't see any real reason to grant my father's murderer pardon."

"She's a hero, Rentaro!"

Thus began Rentaro and Orihime's first major argument.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Flashback: One Hundred year before Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The world turn, and with each turn, we are born anew. She breathed, the sweet spring air filling her lungs with the pungent scent of cherry blossoms. Her brush dipped into the ink stone, and she swirled it around rhythmically. The young woman straightened her back, pushing a single strand of sand-colored hair from her face. Brush met parchment, the bamboo shaft perpendicular to the table, and gracefully, she wrote.

Today she was born anew once more. Today, her life would begin. Today was her sixteenth birthday, and she had finally reached the age her father deemed fit for her to marry. She stood, carefully straightening her obi and smoothing her Yukata. She took a step back and admired her work. Painstakingly drawn in sumi-e style were a dozen little fireflies amongst the reeds surrounding a koi pond. In the center was one simple Kanji: Hotaru, the symbol for firefly.

Her name, it was the single thing that kept constant as her world turned.

Hotaru took another step back, preparing to return to the house interior when her geta caught on a loose garden stone. She fell, holding her hands out in front of her in an attempt to cushion her fall. Hands scraped and bloody, she lay there, momentarily prone on the ground. She looked to the offending stone, only to see a little winged pixie-like spirit sitting there, giggling.

"Why you…!" she growled and lunged at it. It panicked and tried to flee, "Come here you little…!" she captured it in her hands. She was so not going to put up with these idiots' crap today. "Bad Youkai! Bad!" she scolded. It hissed at her and sunk its tiny teeth into her wounded hand.

She cried out and released the creature out of reflex. "It bit me!" she exclaimed, "The damned thing-" she looked up at the fleeing yosei. "… bit… me…" Above her was a cloud of swarming Youkai. A few flew towards her and began clawing greedily at her bloodied hand.

Hotaru screamed and began to flee towards the house, but she didn't make it. Hands grasped at her ankles and she fell once more. They dragged her back, claws and teeth biting and scraping. She gripped the garden stones in an attempt to pull herself away. It didn't help. She was going to die here. It had never been this bad before, but she was going to die here.

Help. She thought the word but couldn't get the sound to form in her throat.

_Help._

"HELP ME!" She shrieked, throwing her arms over her face.

Out of nowhere, the clamor of demons heightened, the excited chatter turning to frightened cries. The pulled ceased. "Be gone," a deep male voice commanded. "This Senka is mine."

Hotaru shivered. A hand was placed on her shoulder. She slowly moved her arms out of her face.

"Hotaru-san," the man said, "I am not here to hurt you."

Finally looking him, she was met with glowing blue eyes, the rest of his face covered by a tight scarf. On his back were a pair of pitch black wings. "K-Karasu Tengu…!" she gasped.

He sighed. "Kaneko Hotaru, you must come with me," he said, extending a hand.

She trembled. "You… you're here to spirit me away," she stated shakily.

He nodded. "If you do not come with me, you will die."

"Is that a threat?"

"If I leave you here, those creatures will return," he said solemnly, pulling the scarf from his face, "They will consume you."

"Why me?" she demanded.

"You are the Senka Maiden," he said, as if he were surprised she didn't know. After a second, he grinned, kneeling down and taking her hand. "Your blood grants us good health and long life," he licked her bloodied hand for emphasis, a shot of pain making her flinch. Hotaru tried to pull away, but he pulled her back, bringing her into an embrace. "Your flesh gives us great powers," he brushed a hand through a loose strand of her hair, the gentle gesture making her freeze. "And should a clan leader make you his bride," he began, "His clan will prosper and he will become virtually invincible."

Hotaru shook. She had so many questions, so many things she was confused about, but in the end, she decided that the most important question was a simple one. "Who are you?"

He released her from his arms and helped her to her feet, taking a step away and bending into a deep bow. "Shimizu Hakyu, at your service, my lady."

"I am assuming that you are a clan leader?"

He straightened. "Oh~? And what would make you think that?"

"So you are," she stated plainly.

Hakyu shrugged. "You are correct."

She crossed her arms. "Talk to my father first."

Hakyu's face fell as he concealed his wings. Kaneko Hotaru's father was a Samurai.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** This story won't be nearly as linear as Hidden Enemies was. The main plot is the crap happening in Takamagahara. Sub-plots include Fujiwa figuring out what the heck to do with the divine sword, Ichimaru helping Sakane with her memories (as well as their relationship drama. Ichimaru did notice that green choker around Sakane's neck. _A consort's choker._), and Chiume's trial and nice pre-Senka War and Senka War flashbacks that occur during it.

Now the question is… can I keep up all these plots without screwing up or retconning any more than I already have?


	7. Stirrings

**A/N:** INSPIRATION! It wasn't from school either. I was thinking about how the planned plot for all these stories revolved around the baddie kidnapping someone's woman. I realized how stupid that was. Izanami needed to be a different kind of baddie than Sakane was. So I was playing Final Fantasy VI and I had a brainchild.

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Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Seven: Stirrings

. . . . . .

"_Help me if can_

_It's just this is not the way I'm wired_

_So could you please help me understand_

_Why you're giving into all these_

_Reckless dark desires?"_

"_**The Outsider" by A Perfect Circle**_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It had been decades since Hakyu had last been to Takamagahara, but even he could tell that Izanagi's return had greatly changed the atmosphere of the place. There was peace.

During Izanami's reign, the plants in the garden had wilted, but now that Izanagi-no-Mikoto had returned, life once more found its place amongst the blooms. Hakyu sat cross-legged in front of a particularly well maintained patch of Violet Buttercups. It was just getting dark, and the fireflies were beginning to blink to life. Crickets sang in the dusky air, the brisk chill of nightfall doing nothing to repel the harmless insects. Izanami's claim to the throne had brought frost, but now one could find not even a speckling of snow.

Hands folded beneath his chin, thoughts fluttered about Hakyu's mind. He knew he shouldn't have told Rentaro about Chiume. Now, anything that happened to her would rest on his shoulders.

Any other time, Hakyu would've reacted to the sound of footsteps behind him, but he already knew who it was. He cleared his throat. "Amaterasu-sama," he addressed without turning to look at her.

There was a quiet pause, the only sound the chirp of crickets. Finally, she said softly, "Juniperinus, Raniculus Andersoni. Common name, Violet Buttercups."

He already knew that, but decided to humor her somewhat. "Oh?" Hakyu said with disinterest.

"It is also known colloquially in some parts of the world as the Snow Flower."

Hakyu choked, images of Mira erupting in his mind. Within seconds, he composed himself, and snapped: "Is digging into fresh wounds a hobby of yours, O Glorious One?"

Amaterasu sighed, but it was a happy sigh. "It makes me feel prettier," she joked, covering her cheek with her hand.

A sharp cackle escaped his mouth. Hakyu fell silent and the crickets once more were the only sound.

The Goddess's silence was thoughtful. After several moments, she spoke, "I have never been in love with another person, Hakyu. I don't know how you feel. I have no idea how I should console you." She took a breath. Amaterasu held out her hand and the fireflies flocked to her. "The closest thing I've ever had to love for another being is with my consorts. The only thing I feel real emotion for is my own reflection. I am quite narcissistic."

Hakyu snorted. "I hadn't noticed."

Amaterasu scoffed and whacked him upside the head. "Excuse you."

Rubbing his head, Hakyu chuckled.

The Goddess shook the fireflies off her hand and dragged over a wrought iron outdoor chair, sitting down regally. She exhaled. "What's eating at you, Shimizu?" she asked.

Hakyu closed his eyes and sighed. "I think that when I left, I ended up throwing a comrade to the sharks," he deadpanned, "The silver haired, purple eyed, fire sharks."

Amaterasu raised an eyebrow. "The Kitsune? I thought you were on much more friendly terms now."

He shook his head. "We are." Hakyu looked down at his crossed legs. "You know the circumstances behind my brief disappearance, correct?"

"Of course. You went looking for Terusai's assassin alone and were defeated."

"That assassin, though… I didn't recognize her at first," Hakyu smiled. "Chihana Chiume. I should've known the name." He turned to look Amaterasu in the eye. "She saved Hotaru's life and ended the Fifth Senka War." His gaze went back to the flowers. After a long moment of consideration, he looked up at the night sky, the pale stars that barely made it through the haze and illusion of Takamagahara's clouded atmosphere almost felt like they were calling down to him. Surely he could finally join them here. Shimizu Hakyu had lived a long, tiring life, and Takamagahara called to him like a fancy retirement community. Amaterasu had taken a liking to him a long time ago, a long, long time ago, and she would more than gladly accept him as a consort. What a lovely, leisurely existence that would be, to spend eternity until Amaterasu… took every last drop of energy from him.

Gods weren't self-sustaining, far from it, in fact. Only the oldest of the consorts figured it out. Hakyu knew due to his information circles. Gods needed adoration, worship, and undying love. These days, especially with the lessened belief from the human world, they needed it in more concentrated amounts. Amaterasu still had an entire country of believers, so she didn't require the same number of consorts and could afford to be picky. Tsukuyomi, on the other hand, had learned long ago that being picky wouldn't cut it. They needed love, or they would shrivel and fade similar to Izanami.

The only thing that Izanami had that the others didn't; the thing that kept her sustained was fear. Fear could be stronger than any form of love, especially when so much of it came from the gods themselves.

Afterlife for Youkai was to either serve or become fuel. Consorts? They were the fuel. Sure, it happened over centuries and occurred slowly, but eventually, a consort of the gods would grow old with the drain of energy from their emotions. Eventually, a consort dies from this drain, and because they've basically had their soul drained, there is nothing to reenter the cycle. Once you die as a consort, you die for good. That's it. Nothing after that.

Hakyu figured that sounded pretty good. Ultimate sleep. He knew he was one of the oldest souls ever to walk on any plane. He'd been a palace guard in one life, a serving Living World Tengu one life, a Daitengu in another… and human in his first. If he stopped and cleared his mind and remembered as hard as he could, he could remember herding cattle between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Hakyu wasn't just old, Hakyu was damn old.

He turned his gaze briefly towards Amaterasu and the absolutely amused look in her eyes made him want to groan. Gods weren't normal. The only god he'd ever seen a semblance of humanity in was Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and that had only been from a few moments in the throne room. That god, no, that man… something about him simply rang correct. Hakyu doubted he'd ever had a true consort even once in his life. That man loved someone other than himself, and perhaps that was why he was different.

Hakyu loved his daughter. Hakyu loved his wife. Hakyu loved Shiramae Mira. That was why he needed to take care of some business. It was also why Hakyu would never fall to temptation and go into Amaterasu's arms. It was why he'd serve once more. He'd serve for eternity if he had to, but he would never fade. No matter how tired he got, no matter how long he lived, he'd keep going.

"I am returning to Soul Society to speak in Chihana Chiume's defense," he said, ready for the goddess to refuse him.

Amaterasu had this dumbass little grin on her face as she shrugged. "Go right ahead. I'm going to tell you now, however, your efforts will gain you nothing."

Hakyu sighed. "I don't care. I'm not going to let them kill the woman who saved Hotaru."

She gestured behind her, indicating the castles gates in that direction. "Then go," she laughed, "I'm not keeping you here."

Her gaze said otherwise. "No, you just know I'll come back," he choked.

Her golden eyes narrowed, the smile maintained on her lips. It was a hungry look. "You will return to me eventually, Shimizu Hakyu, if not in this life, then in another. I have time," she hummed and raised her eyebrows. "Go. Before I throw you out," she giggled and turned, walking back towards the palace.

"Tell Ao I left!" he called as he stood.

"Um-hmm," she hummed pleasantly, waving.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Night churned her mind, the suffocating heat of her bedroom made her want to hurl. Sakane tossed and turned on her plush futon, sweat coating her like a second skin. Nothing felt right. Whenever the erstwhile goddess closed her eyes, she felt like oceans were closing in around her and filling her lungs. Everything felt small, the walls closing in, and the sound of crickets deafening and screaming at her only added to the slow, crowding suffering.

Ichimaru Gin, Ichimaru Gin, Gin, Gin, Gin… She knew him; he killed her. Sakane could still feel the harsh blade rip through her chest. She could still hear the dying screams of her two sisters. She could still _taste_… _blood._ Flesh. Senka flesh. Her mouth watered at the thought of eating… flesh.

She kicked her silk sheets to the end of the bed and flipped over, her bare back and thighs damp with a heavy sheen of sweat. Her face buried in the pillow, she bit into the feather-filled cotton and shrieked as she felt herself relive her death again and again…

A hand clamped on her shoulder and Sakane started, flipping back onto her back and kicking upwards. Her ankle was caught in a delicate hand. "_Shhh,_" Ame-no-Uzume soothed, putting her free hand to Sakane's forehead. "You're being awfully noisy, my dear." The plump goddess carefully felt Sakane's face and neck, continuing to quietly sooth her. "Your nightmares are turning into delusions, are they not?"

Sakane drifted, her consciousness retreating as Uzume continued to speak to her in a hushed but authoritative tone. She floated gently through happiness, and then felt herself rake through death again, but now, she faced Kurosaki Ichigo and cut him down. The sudden change in her memories hit her hard, both physically and mentally as she arched her back off the futon, her heels digging into the well-stuffed mattress and she screamed silently, her mouth open but no sound escaping. A weight settled on her, pinning her hips down and preventing her movement. Still, Sakane thrashed. A forehead touched to hers, and the rocking waves and storms ceased. Uzume spoke. The storms brewed. Sakane panted.

Reiatsu of the godly persuasion pressed down on her. However, it was welcome in comparison to the suffocating seas of her past life. Sakane's eyes slid closed and when a damp cloth touched to her face followed by a cold brush, she remained motionless. Uzume hummed lightly and Sakane found herself humming back. Quiet praises came from The Great Persuader's lips, lulling Sakane into a calm sense of security. The brush granted its chilled caress over her eyelids, they outlined her cheekbones, and ornamented her forehead. A larger coldness pressed over the numb scar tissue and smoothed. A long minute of this passed, and Uzume's quiet urging told her to open her eyes. The Fujin did, and saw… herself. Her face the way it should be, with sharp red around her eyes and a smooth face. Sakane grinned, a wide and toothy smile.

Her mouth watered. "Thank you…" she said softly, not knowing why she thanked the goddess…

Uzume stopped her quiet whisperings and set the mirror aside. "I'm glad you approve, Nazo Sakane." Her finger looped beneath the ribbon at Sakane's neck. "No goddess deserves to be collared. It's an aberration, don't you agree?"

Sakane hummed in agreement and Uzume leaned in close. "Isn't Susanoo a foul man?" Uzume postulated, "And all that meat… all that muscle…" The Fujin's eyes widened as Uzume's hands entwined her hair. "Wouldn't it be satisfying to get rid of him forever?"

"… Yes…" Sakane gasped. Laughter bubbled up in her throat. "Yes! Yes! Yes it would be!" she cackled.

Uzume smiled, her plump face radiant with happiness. "Have fun, my dear," she laughed.


End file.
